The First Ever Big Stir Festival Honors Colorado Women in Food and Hospitality

Colorado is filled with talented, hardworking women in the food, drink and hospitality businesses, and no one knows that better than the members of the Colorado chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, who all fit that description themselves. The nationwide organization has a mission of supporting women in the industry, and the Colorado chapter, which was formalized in 2003, now has nearly fifty members.

"Our goal is to be a philanthropic organization that raises money for scholarships," explains Megan Bucholz, who took over as the Colorado chapter's president last August.

In 2021, driven by Lori Tieszen, who'd relocated to Denver from New York, Les Dames Colorado introduced what it dubbed the Lady Boss Festival. The idea was to honor female industry leaders with awards and, through event sponsorships, raise more money for scholarships. But because of the pandemic, the Lady Boss Festival was a virtual event. This year, it's finally coming to life — under a new name.

As it turns out, another company in the weight-loss space was capitalizing on the name Lady Boss. "We didn't want someone to Google [Lady Boss] and it come up as weight-loss," Bucholz admits. And so the event has been rebranded as the Big Stir Festival. "We really like the name because it has food connotations, obviously, but also it refers to 'stirring the pot' and the fact that we want to mix things up a bit and celebrate women who are leaders in the industry."

Bucholz and Tieszen are co-chairs of the event, which will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. April 23 at the Tivoli Turnhalle Room on the Auraria campus. General admission tickets are $55.

Attendees will be able to sample from at least 25 tables offering food and beverage samples (including booze). Access to seminars is also included. The scheduled speakers are author and food historian Adrian Miller, best known as the Soul Food Scholar, who will be talking about the history of African-American women in barbecue; sommelier Maia Parish, who will talk about the three grape varietals that make Champagne; and Pernod Richard USA national brand ambassador Valerie Alvarado, who will lead an exploration of tequila and mezcal.

Between sessions, the ten 2022 leadership award winners will be honored. Honorees come from all over Colorado and are chosen through nominations from Les Dames Colorado members. They include Jolene Collins, CEO of Jojo's Sriracha ("the best sriracha ever," Bucholz says) and Barbara Macfarlane, marketing director emeritus for Marczyk Fine Foods (whom Bucholz calls "the queen of Denver specialty shops").

Thanks to presenting sponsor Culinary Creative Group (Bar Dough, Mister Oso, A5 and more), Les Dames Colorado has already been able to earmark $2,500 for a scholarship for this coming fall. The application for scholarships is open now and available on Les Dames Colorado's website.

Here's the complete list of 2022 Les Dames d’Escoffier Colorado Leadership Award winners:
Hospitality Leader: Fathima Dickerson, co-owner, Welton Street Cafe, Home of Mona's

Agriculture Leader: Sally A. Herbert, founder and CEO, Altius Farms Inc.

Bar Leader: Nicole Mattson, co-founder, Nocturne and Noble Riot

Food Retail Leader: Barbara Macfarlane, marketing director emeritus, Marczyk Fine Foods

Food Manufacturing Leader: Jolene Collins, CEO, JoJo’s Sriracha

Alcohol Beverage Leader: Tiffany Fixter, founder, Brewability Lab

Bakery Leader: Aminata Dia, chef owner, Le French Bakery & Café

Community Leader: Julie Stone, executive director, Work Options

Non-Alcohol Beverage Leader: Shae Whitney, founder, Dram Apothecary

Chef Leader: Lisa Wong, chef owner, WongWayVeg